Valve-seat retainer



C. W. METZGAR.

VALVE SEAT RETAINER.

APPLICATION FILED rmza. 1921.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

c E B Falllll :III U! 1' t 'T w/ A j a 5 J INVENTOR lw/ ATRNEY UNITEDsnares PATENT OFF ics.

CHESTER w. METZGAR, or EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, assrsnon, T0 INGERSOLL- innCOMPANY, or JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION on NEW JERSEY.

VALVE-SEAT RETAINER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

To all to 710m it may concern Be it known that l, Cnnsrnn \V. METZGAR, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Easton, county ofNorthampton, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain Valve-SeatRetainer, of which the following is a specification accompaniedbydrawings.

This invention relates to compressors but more particularly to valveseat retaining devices for retaining the valve seats and valves inposition in the valve openings in the inner wallof the compressor headuntil the covers and valve securing devices are adjusted on the outerwall or shell of the compressor head. Y

In a compressor head in which the valves, as for instance, plate valves,are arranged substantially vertically or at an angle to the vertical inthe wall of the head, ditliculty has been experienced in temporarilyretaining or supporting the valve seats carrying valves, in adjustedposition in the valve openings, while the covers and permanent valvesecuring devices usually in the form of set screws or studs passingthrough the covers, are being adjusted in position and secured in place.

The valve seats and valves may tend to tip or fall outwardly anddownwardly while the covers are being adjusted and in practice, onemethod is to loosely secure the valves tothe valve securing cover studs,and adjust the valves and covers at the same time, but with valves oll'arger diameter in particular, the adjustment oi the valve seat andvalve in its opening may not be accurate so that leakage or other moreserious troubles result. Again, the workman cannot see what he is doing,since the cover obscures his view through the outer cover opening in thehead, and for this reason he may not set the valve seat accurately intheinner opening.

The primary object of the present invention is to enable the valve seatsto be accurately adjusted and temporarily retained in the valve seatopenings in the inner wall of the head, while the covers are removed sothat the workman can plainly see the adjustment, and may afterwardssecure the covers and permanent Valvesecuring devices inposition withoutdisturbing the adjustment al.- ready made.

Further objects of the invention will hereinafter appear and to all ofthese ends the invention consists of the Features of construction andcombinations of elements fully described and claimed in thisspecification and illustrated in one of its preferred forms in theaccompanying drawings, in which l lgure 1 1s a diagrammatic horizontalsect onal plan view takenthrough a portion of thehead of a compressorshowing valve seat retaining device about to be adjusted in position; I

Figure. 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the valve seat retaineradjusted in position and the cover and permanent securmg device alsoadjusted; j Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of the jam nut shownon the valve stud;

Figured is a detail perspective view of a valve seat holder or retainerin the form ot a spring strip provided with engaging means for anadjusting tool;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through Figure at, and

Figure 6 is a detail broken view through the'cover opening showing thevalve seat retaining strip in different positions of adjustment.

Referring to the drawings, a type of compressor head A is shownsuit'able for illustrating the advantages and mode of operation of mydevice, and I have only chosen to show a broken portion of the head forsimplicity and one valve and valve seat retaining device, it beingunderstood however, that the invention may be used with any type ofcompressor head to which it is found applicable. In the presentinstance, the axes of the valves may be substantially parallel to oratan angle to thelongitudinal axis of the compressor cylinder,

The head illustrated is provided with the valve seat openingsB in theinner wall C adapted to receive the valve seats D in this instanceadapted to carry plate valves of any suitable type. The openings B asshown are provided with the rabbeted or counterbored portions E forseating the flanges F of the valve seats D. The valve shownin thisinstance is a discharge valve, but the invention applies equally toeither inlet or discharge valves. i

The outer wall G of the compressor head is provided with openingsI'Icorresponding to the openings B and the usual cover J, of which onlyone is shown, are provided for closing the outer openings after thevalve seats and valves are in place. An adjust- Ill) preferably in theform of a set screw K V valve.

passes through the cover for securing the valve seat in final positionand a nut K is preferably provided on said set screw. Cover holdingmeans which may be in the form of tap bolts L are provided for securingthecover to the head.

In order to temporarily maintain a valve seat D in its opening B, withthe cover J removed, I provide a removable valve holder in the form of ametallic spring retaining strip 0 adapted to be adjusted over a centralprojecting member on the valve seat, with the ends of the stripO-arranged beneath the edge of the cover opening H. In this instance thevalve seat is provided with a central stud P having a gland nut Q and ajam nut R projecting towards and preferably into the cover opening Hwhen the valve seat is seated as indicated in Figures 1 and 2. Washers Smay be provided on the stud P between the gland nut Q and the jam nut Rfor adjusting the distance to which the jam nut projects into the coveropening H. The projecting end of the am nut R is preferably providedwith the re uced portion T and the spring retaining strip 0 ispreferably provided with a central aperture U adapted to be slipped overthe reduced end T of the jam nut as indicated in Figure 2 when theretaining strip is in holding position with the ends V beneath the edgesof the cover opening H. In such holding position, the spring strip 0' ispreferably flexed as indicated so that spring pressure is exerted tohold the valve seat temporarily in position until the set screw Kis-screwed up and adjusted, as indicated in Figure 2 to hold the valveseat securely in position. v

The spring retaining strip 0 may be providedwith notches W or tangs X toafford abutments or projectionsto enable the strip to be manipulated bya tool in adjusting the strip in position or for otherwise engaging thestrip to dismount the valve seat and The spring strip 0 may be insertedthrough the cover opening H as indicated in Figure 1 and may thenbeadjusted into the position indicated in Figure 2, by drawing, pushing,tapping or otherwise moving the strip across the jam nut R until theaperture U in the strip seats over the reduced end T of the jam nut.while at the same time the ends of the spring strip are adjusted underthe edges of the cover hole. In Figure 6 the spring strip 0 is shown indifferent diametric positions across the cover hole andif desired thespring strip may be placed within the cover hole with both ends underthe edges of the hole and then the strip may be moved bodily across theend of the jam nut R until the hole U in the strip falls over thereduced end T of the jam nut. Such method 1 tions indicated in Figure 6.

When the spring strip or clamp O is adjusted in final position as shownin Figure 2, the engagement between the reduced end T and the hole Ucenters the clamp with regard to the cover opening H and holds the partstogether. After the cover J and set screw K are adjusted with the setscrew against the clamp the parts are securely clamped in position. Thespring strip 0 is preferably thicker than the depth of the reduced end Tso that the pressure of the set screw K is against the stri and the setscrew does not bear on the end By this means the s ring strip is heldtight against the jam nut and prevents looseness in play in theassembled parts. a v

I claim:

1. In a compressor, a compressor head having a valve seat opening in itsinner wall adapted to receive a valve seat carrying a valve, the outerwall of the head having a corresponding opening adapted to be closed bya cover carrying an adjustable valve securing device, a valve seathaving a central member projecting outwardly towards the said coveropening when the valve is seated. and a removable valve holder in theform of a spring strip adapted to be adjusted over said projectingmember on the valve seat with the ends of the strip beneath the edges ofthe cover opening for maintaining the valve seat in position in thevalve seat opening until the cover and valve securing device areadjusted.

2. In a compressor, a compressor head having a valve seat opening in itsinner wall adapted to receive a valve seat carrying a valve, the outerwall of the head having a corresponding opening adapted to be closed bya cover carrying an adjustable valve securing device, a valve seathaving a central member formed with a reduced end projecting outwardlytowards the said cover opening when the valve is seated, anda removablevalve holder'in the form of a spring strip having a central apertureadapted to be adjusted over the reduced end of saidprojecting member onthe valve seat with the ends of the strip beneath the ed s of the coveropening for maintainingan centering the valve seat in position in thevalve seat opening until the cover and'valve securing wards the saidcover openin when the valve' is seated, and a removable va ve holder inthe form ofaspring strip adapted to be adjusted ing provided withengaging means formover said projecting member on the valve ingabutments for a tool, to enable the seat with the ends of the stripbeneath the strip to be moved longitudinally for engage- 10 edges of thecover opening for maintaining ment and disengagement with the head. thevalve seat in position in the valve seat In testimony whereof I havesigned this opening until the cover and valve securing specification.device are adjusted, said spring strip be- CHESTER WV.METZGAR.

